Here We Go Again
by Isob3l
Summary: When Hatter follows Alice through the looking glass, he swears never to go back. But when Alice gets herself into more trouble, he learns that he'll have to follow her back. Old enemies and flames return. T cause I'm paranoid.
1. Going Back

**Summary: When Hatter follows Alice through the looking glass, he swears never to go back. But when Alice gets herself into more trouble, he learns that he'll have to follow her back.**

**A/N: I already wrote an Alice one-shot and it kinda sucked. I'm obsessed with Hatter so… here it goes. Please don't flame me! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned the Alice miniseries, Hatter would fall in love with a character very similar to me… but he doesn't, so I don't.**

**Here We Go Again**

Hatter's P.O.V

Hatter drummed his fingers anxiously on the dining room table in his and Alice's shared apartment.

He checked his watch again and had noticed that she was half an hour late for their date. They had most definitely missed their reservations. He sighed and stood to call Alice again.

The phone rang abruptly, causing Hatter to jump. He quickly checked the caller I.D and smiled with relief when he saw Alice's name.

"Hey, love. Where are you? You're a little late," he inquired when he answered the phone, slightly irritated.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" a masculine voice scoffed on the other line.

Hatter tensed immediately and inquired, "Who are you and where's Alice?"

"Someone who can hurt her and once I hang up, Wonderland, pretty boy," the voice replied.

Hatter silently cursed and grabbed his car keys, before storming out.

"Let me speak to her," he demanded.

The voice chuckled and replied, "You're in no position to be making demands, little man."

"Well then, I'm not going to Wonderland. I'm assuming that's the reason this is happening. You want me over there," Hatter fibbed.

"You're smart. How long did it take you to figure that out?" he teased.

"I just need to know that she's okay," he added, ignoring the pounding of his heart as he hopped into his car and sped to the mirror.

"She's fine for now. I'm heading over and be there or she dies. I'll leave the looking glass open," he added, "Oh and if by some miracle you both live, make sure you're girl knows the difference between a citizen in need and an ambush," before hanging up.

"Bloody hell Alice," he cursed under his breath, tossing the phone in the backseat.

He turned into the parking lot and jolted out of the car, sprinting to the looking glass.

He saw it propped up against a wall and hesitated before he leapt in.

Did he really want to be back in the world he had originally fought so hard to get out of?

His answer came instantly when he noticed a small pool of blood next to him.

It must've been Alice's.

Without a second thought, he leapt through the looking glass and made his descent into Wonderland.

_I'm coming Alice, _he thought to himself.

After recovering from the initial dizziness and nausea, Hatter stumbled through the road, vaguely searching the area for traces of black hair.

"Damn it Alice!" Hatter yelled, hoping for any sign that she could hear.

Hatter adjusted his hat before… wait.

Hatter placed a hand on his hat and looked down at his outfit.

He was wearing the same clothes he had left Wonderland in.

He knocked on his stomach and smiled when he felt his bulletproof vest.

Sighing once more, he tentatively began walking along the path.

He looked around for any significant differences in his once home and noticed flyers plastered along the walls.

He gingerly pried one off and instantly noticed his and Alice's faces in the middle of it.

"Bloody hell," he cursed for the second time.

He read:

_Dear Loyal Citizen(s),_

_Ruler March has decreed that all citizens are to report any sightings of either individuals. _

His eyebrows shot up at the words 'Ruler March'.

"So Jackie's lost power, eh? That didn't take long," he murmured to himself.

He wasn't shocked that someone had revived Mad March after his… ehem… incident with Hatter's fist. It's been done before and it would be done again.

He also wasn't shocked that he'd taken over after Jack's apparent fall from power. He was a well-known and feared assassin.

He wasn't shocked that he was most wanted, along with Alice. Mad March and Hatter had had a growing rivalry since their falling out when they were mere children. Mad March had died approximately 12 times and 10 were at the hands, more appropriately right hook, of Hatter. The other two had been accidents or natural causes.

Hatter cracked his knuckles and smiled grimly.

On the upside, Hatter could deal with Mad March. He'd done several times in the past. And he _knew_ Mad March. He could figure out where he was and what he was going to do with Alice.

And that posed the problem.

Hatter _knew _Mad March.

He was sadistic and he'd do as much harm to Alice as he could before Hatter did anything. He also held a grudge. And he _knew _Hatter.

He was smart and each time Hatter faced him, he was stronger than the last.

Hatter scowled and made his way to the one place March knew would be the most painful for Hatter and the one place he knew that March would be.

He was heading home.

**A/N: I know that it's kinda short, but I wanted to end it like that. They never really let us know about Hatter's life before Alice came into the picture. They made it seem like Hatter and Mad March knew each other. I also thought that something traumatic must've happened to him. Alice's P.O.V is coming up next. Please review if this is even remotely good because if it sucks I'll drop it. If I have reviews, I get excited to update and I do it frequently. *hint, hint***


	2. Chasing Rabbits

**A/N: I'd like to thank my one reviewer, Alaina Downs. Thank you so much for being nice. I'm hoping that I get more reviews, but so far, thank you. Umm… so here's chapter 2! Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned. I merely contort so that it suits my purpose. **

**Chapter 2: Chasing Rabbits**

Alice's P.O.V

Pain.

That was the first thing Alice's weary mind registered when she woke up.

She also noticed that her hands and ankles were bound and she was dangling from the ceiling.

Alice opened her eyes and blinked a few times to bring the world into focus. It was dark and she was possibly in a dungeon of some kind.

She swung her feet back in forth with the hope of reaching the ground. Alas, nothing was ever easy.

She struggled to recall what happened.

Alice remembered seeing some poor guy having the crap beaten out of him and she went to help.

She also vaguely remembered someone hitting her from behind and stuffing her in a truck. She hadn't been unconscious at this point, merely… disoriented.

The man sitting in the back with her made a phone call to a man that he kept calling names and laughing at and then he mentioned Wonderland, so Alice assumed it was Hatter.

Naturally, her next thought was, _Why did they kidnap me and threaten Hatter?_

To which she answered herself, _Someone wanted to make sure that he'd be going back to Wonderland._

Alice knew next to nothing about Hatter's life before she met him, and she had gotten the impression that he preferred to keep it that way.

Every once in a while, he fondly recalled funny childhood stories or his parents.

She knew quite a bit about his life before he turned 16, but after that, he never mentioned anything.

Alice assumed something traumatic happened at that age, but he would never talk about it.

Alice scowled and yelled out, "HELLO! IS ANYBODY THERE!"

She heard a chuckle in the corner and someone familiar stepped into the light.

"Mad March? What are you doing here? I thought Hatter killed you." she inquired curiously.

She knew that March was a feared assassin, but she didn't know why he had a fascination with Hatter.

The smile on his bunny head quickly disappeared and he muttered, "Don't remind me."

"I'm back and so are you, which means Hatter is too," he added, the smile returning.

Alice raised an eyebrow at him and inquired, "Why do you seem to hate Hatter so much?"

This time he raised an eyebrow at her and inquired, "He didn't tell you about his past?"

Alice shook her head and he continued, "We had a falling out of sorts and I retaliated in a way that caused him to kill me a few times."

Alice shook her head fervently. Hatter wouldn't do that unless seriously provoked and the other times she assumed that it was self-defense. A man… err… rabbit… like Mad March seemed like the one to hold a grudge and if that was true then Hatter was in serious trouble.

And so was she.

"What do you want from me?" she inquired harshly.

"You're merely bait. It appears no matter how many times, I take everything from him he bounces back. He's resilient that way."

Alice let out a breath and struggled slightly against the rope.

Mad March, noticing this continued, "Like every super villain, I'm gonna tell you my despicable evil plan," he pulled a long and sharp knife out of his sleeve before continuing, "I'm gonna torture you. Then, when he gets here, I'm gonna torture him. Then I'm gonna kill him, but in a way so that it'll be slow and painful and while he's dying, I'll kill you," when he saw her eyes widen he added, "Don't worry, it'll be quick. And with his last moments, he'll watch you die. I'll prop his hat on my mantle to remember the one man who thought he could beat me."

He smiled smugly and Alice hoped that Hatter wouldn't come, but even as she thought it, she knew he would. Hatter always did, but this time Alice was scared that he wouldn't make it out in the nick of time. This time, he might not make it.

"Now," he boomed breaking the silence and moving closer to her, with the knife on his hand menacingly, "Time for step 1, my dear."

Alice let out a shrill scream and March began to cackle insanely.

Hatter's P.O.V

Hatter was almost sure of March's plan.

Mad March was all about the torture, psychologically and physically.

Hatter sighed and glanced at his surroundings.

He was in a lush green valley that he had played in as a child. It was open and decidedly close to his house.

He wondered why March hadn't burned it down, but he figured it was because of the memories it held for him. March had played here also and they'd had their legendary fight here.

Hatter felt himself being assaulted by the memory of that day.

"_Hatter you arsehole! Look at me!" a 16 year old Mad March screeched at 16 year old Hatter._

_Hatter sighed and turned to face his friend, who at that point generally had a face which was set in a deep scowl._

_He smiled nonchalantly and replied, "What's happening, friend?"_

"_Don't call me that, you backstabbing leech! I know what you did!"_

_Hatter raised an eyebrow in surprise, as his smile faded, and replied, "That makes one of us. What did I do?"_

_Mad March scoffed and yelled, "Stop lying!"_

"_I'm not lying! What are you goin on about?" Hatter yelled in reply._

_Mad March drew a gun on him and aimed it at Hatter's face._

"_Whoa, Marchie, let's put the gun down. Nobody needs to get hurt," Hatter said calmly, his hands raised in a gesture of innocence._

_He was starting to figure out why he was called 'Mad' March._

_He had always been a little sadistic, but Hatter befriended him nonetheless. He merely viewed March as misunderstood and lonely._

"_You told everyone that __**I **__was the reason those animals were turning up dead! Everyone thinks I'm a psychopath! My parents have kicked me out and the cops are lookin for me! My life is over!" he accused._

"_I didn't say anything of the sort! I wouldn't do that! Now, put the gun down so we can talk about this," Hatter replied, losing his calm façade. He had actually been thinking that it was March, but he hadn't told anyone. _

_March merely chuckled and replied, "I'm not gonna shoot you. I want to see your face when you go home and see your parents."_

_He lowered the gun and turned to walk away before adding, "Or what's left of them."_

_In the background, Hatter could see smoke rising and he instinctively knew where it was coming from._

_He took off in run home, praying that everything was ok._

A shrill screech broke him out of his reverie and Hatter took off to his house once again, knowing immediately that it was Alice.

"Bloody hell, Alice," he mumbled under his breath before opening his charred front door.

**A/N: Does Hatter get there in time before Alice is hurt or not? And what the hell happened to his parents? If you think you know, don't be so sure because I have been known to add random crap at the end so… yeah. If you review, I'll make you imaginary cookies. Any flavor. Yumm… And you get a mental hug. Now, who wouldn't want a mental hug from yours truly? Don't answer that. :/**


	3. My Shattered Life

**A/N: I know it took me longer than I planned to update, but due to that nice hurricane Irene, I lost power. Yippee. So, I really hope that anyone who is reading this enjoys it because I am working really hard to make the chapters good and update quickly. If you do like it then… tell your friends! I'm just kidding, but if you wanted to tell your friends I'd be cool with that… Enjoy!**

**My Shattered Life**

Alice's P.O.V

Just before Mad March had managed to inflict any real damage to Alice, the door burst open.

With his knife held inches away from her neck, March smiled insanely.

"Hatter. It's nice to see you so soon. However, I was looking forward to torturing your girlfriend, in case you were wondering. You seem to enjoy ruining my fun," March greeted.

Alice couldn't see her boyfriend, but March seemed sure.

Her suspicions were proved right when a deep, British voice replied, "Why do you think I came so quickly?"

Alice felt tears prick the corners of her eyes and she yelled out, "Get the hell out of here, Hatter! He'll kill you!"

Mad March moved to the side enough so Alice could see him.

He was wearing cocky grin and his face read nonchalant, but Alice knew that the way he was clenching his jaw and balling his fists were an indicator that he was a mix of angry and scared.

He shrugged calmly, catching Alice's eye, and answered, "Been there. Done that. It doesn't seem that bad to die," he locked eyes with March and continued, "You would know, wouldn't you, Marchie? How many times have I killed you? 8 or 9?"

Mad March's smile faded, replaced by a sneer, and he replied, "Ten, but none of them were as painful as I'm gonna make yours. And no one will bring you back."

Hatter chuckled.

"I don't see anything funny with the knife at Alice's neck," Mad March yelled aggressively.

"Typical March. Always hiding behind one of my loved ones. Do you really think it'll be that hard to beat me without a captive?" HE grew very serious and continued, "Let her go, Marchie. This has nothing to do with her. This is about you and me."

Alice noticed how uncomfortable Hatter appeared in the house and she wondered what had happened here. He faked another smile and glanced back at her briefly before looking back at March.

As if reading her mind, Mad March gestured to their surroundings and said jovially, "How's it feel to be back, Hatter? Does the guilt consume you? You know that you killed them, right?"

Hatter's smile faded slowly and he furrowed his brow. Alice noticed an emotion of guilt wash over him briefly, before he smiled again, resuming his false bravado.

"I didn't set their house on fire like a psycho now did I Marchie? You know, I didn't start that rumor, but I'm sure as hell glad that someone revealed what a psycho you are," Hatter mused nonchalantly, but she could tell how deeply disturbed he was by Mad March's words. They seemed to haunt him.

Alice had to bite her tongue to stop herself from commenting. It must have been one bad rumor. Slowly, she was starting to piece this together.

Mad March's grip around the knife tightened and he replied, "You're such a liar, Hatter. Always were. But I hold all of the cards here, not the other way around."

"Marchie-"Hatter began before being interrupted by Mad March's screech.

"Don't call me that!" Alice flinched and even Hatter looked frightened.

Mad March took three deep and calming breaths before continuing, cockier this time, "I let it happen when we were friends, but no more. Watch what you say because I could leave you alive."

Hatter raised an eyebrow in confusion.

March added, "After I kill her."

Hatter's eyes fluttered shut quickly and he took a deep breath.

"Please," he pleaded, "You can kill me. Leave Alice out of this. You win. I'm begging you. This is what you want. Let her go. We can handle this mono e mono."

"I don't know. I rather enjoy watching you suffer."

"Stop this, March. This is never gonna be enough for you. Why are you doing this?" Hatter pleaded desperately, all traces of his bravado long gone.

"I kill you or I kill her, either way, YOU LOSE!"

Hatter's P.O.V

Hatter frowned deeply.

"What now?" he inquired sadly.

"Well, I'd very much like tot torture you while I decide," seeing Hatter's hesitation, he added, pressing the knife deeper into Alice's throat, drawing blood, "Or I could torture her."

He caught Alice's gaze and it was screaming for him to run and she screamed, "Hatter! No! He's gonna kill me no matter what!"

March grabbed his handkerchief and tied it around Alice's mouth.

Hatter pulled over a slightly less destroyed chair and sat down in it, making a gesture of surrender with his hands.

March smiled evilly again, while Alice struggled against her ropes.

Hatter noted that her hands were merely draped over a pipe, making it easy to just slide her off and carry her out of there.

Mad March whistled and out of nowhere Drs. Dee and Dum entered the house, carrying a toolbox.

"Aah. Too scared to do it yourself? I see. Continue," Hatter teased, although he was on edge himself.

March flinched and replied, "Someone needed to keep the knife to your girlfriends face. Now, Drs."

The doctors drew out electric cattle prod.

One of them, Hatter couldn't tell, struck him a few times, as if to test if they worked, sending a sharp pain in his side.

Hatter bit his lip to keep from crying out.

The doctors immediately began peppering his entire body with shocks until Hatter finally let out a yell.

Mad March smiled evilly.

"Shouldn't we bind him?" Dr. Dee inquired.

"No. Then he can say that there was nothing he could do," Mad March replied.

Even though he was wearing a bulletproof vest, it didn't protect him from the painful shocks. He soon felt wetness on his head.

Suddenly, Alice swung out her legs in a powerful kick, sending Mad March tumbling towards Hatter.

Not missing a beat, Hatter swung out his legs and kicked Mad March into a nearby wall. He quickly grabbed his chair and swung at the doctor to his left, sending him toppling on top of his twin.

Not bothering to fight Mad March, who was trying to scramble to his footing, Hatter ran towards Alice and slung her over his shoulders before jolting towards the door.

Although he was badly injured, Hatter's legs moved swiftly and he quickly ran to a spot where he knew Mad March wouldn't find him.

His secret hideaway.

Alice's P.O.V

Hatter carried Alice through the woods until he settled at a waterfall.

He placed her on the ground and flipped open a switch blade. He quickly began working on her ropes.

Once untied, Hatter removed her gag and pulled her to her feet. Before she had a chance to speak, Hatter practically dragged her along the cliff of the waterfall. As they got closer, she noticed a small cave behind the waterfall and she knew their destination.

Once they reached it Hatter sat down and grimaced at the effort.

"Hatter," Alice breathed, wishing she was wearing more than her blue dress.

"I'm fine," He assured, but he was obviously not fine. He had a large gash on his forehead that was bleeding profusely and he was covered in bruises.

Alice grasped around and grabbed March's handkerchief and pressed it to the wound.

Hatter grimaced again and Alice spoke quickly, "Are you bleeding anywhere else? Are you ok? Will he find us?"

He smiled lightly at her rambling and replied, "No, yes and no. This is my secret place I didn't tell anyone about it, except you, of course, now."

Alice nodded and when she had stemmed the bleeding, sat back across from him and whispered lightly, "Hatter, tell me what happened."

Hatter tensed immediately and Alice grabbed his hand and cradled it in her lap.

"He said you killed him," she added, when he didn't say anything.

"Alice, I didn't go on like a road rage. The other 9 times were in defense. You have to beli-"

"I do," she interrupted.

"What about the first time, Hatter?" She continued.

Hatter looked down, so Alice argued, "You know everything about me, Hatter, and I know almost nothing about you."

Hatter caught her eyes and any trace of a smile was wiped off of his face.

He nodded and replied, "You're right. I'm sorry. If you want to know I'll tell you."

Alice smiled lightly and squeezed his hand.

"I want to know."

Hatter's P.O.V

He nodded again and began, "Mad March and were dear friends, but he had several issues. For one, he was a psychopath. He was killing animals in our neighborhood and someone turned him in. He was shamed. No one would look him in the eye. He wasn't technically an outlaw, but he did have to pay a hefty fine. I was blamed for telling the police and he took it personally. So he took away everything that I had once held dear."

Hatter was attacked by the memory of that day.

_Hatter ran as quickly as possible to his home and he prayed that his parents and sister were safe._

_When he got there, he wasn't shocked that it was up in flames, so he kicked down the door and ran inside._

_He coughed instinctively and held a hand over his mouth._

_The smoke made it nearly impossible to see or breath, but he managed to choke out, "MUM! DAD! SOPHIE! PLEASE BE OKAY!"_

_He instantly found a slightly burnt body on the ground and he crouched by it and recognized it as his father._

"_D-dad," he choked, but it had nothing to do with the smoke._

"_My boy," he replied lightly._

_His face was covered with soot and he had a knife sticking out of large abdomen._

_Hatter knew that he wouldn't make it._

_If he knew March like he thought he did, this was intentional. He was to be the only survivor._

_He probably made it quick for Sophie and his mum, but his Dad was damaged irreparably. He would most certainly die._

_However, he asked anyway, "Where's mum and Sophie? Are they alright?"_

_He smiled lightly, pointed up, and replied, "Get out."_

_Blood was streaming out of his mouth and it was a wonder he could still speak._

_Hatter could hear sirens in the background and he knew he needed to say his goodbyes._

"_Did Mad March…?" he began._

_His father nodded slightly._

_Hatter felt anger rush through him and he was ready to kill Mad March._

_He whispered, "I love you dad."_

"_Love you," his father replied almost imperceptibly. _

_He didn't speak again and Hatter knew he was dead. He began to sob uncontrollably and he knew he didn't even want to see his beloved mother and sister._

_He had always felt particularly close to his father. He loved his mother and his baby sister with all of his heart, but he and his dad had an amazing relationship. _

_Suddenly he felt hands pulling at him, prying him away from his father, and all he could do was sob uncontrollably._

_They put the fire out quickly, but it was destroyed._

_His father was pulled out of the wreckage of his once home and his mother soon after._

_In pieces._

_Mad March had decapitated her._

_Hatter let out another sob and he looked around wildly for his sister. He walked to the first man in a uniform and yelled, "Sophie? Where's Sophie?"_

_The man cocked an eyebrow, "We only found your parents, son. I'm sorry."_

_Hatter froze. Mad March had Sophie. He __**had**__ Sophie._

_Hatter began sprinting to the valley, ignoring the crowd of people and the officer yelling at him to stop._

_When he got there, he did indeed find Mad March he was holding little Sadie against him with a knife to her neck._

_The four-year old brunette was dwarfed by the tall gangly boy who was threatening her. He had to crouch down to hold her._

"_Please, no," Hatter pleaded. Sophie looked terrified and she had tears falling down her cheeks, which made Hatter think that March had killed their parents in front of her._

"_Why so sad, Hatter?" March said with glee, though it was clear that he was very angry._

"_You killed them. You win. Let her live, please. I didn't do it. I swear," Hatter sobbed desperately._

_He was watching his world crumble in front of him._

_His parents were dead, his house was torched, and his only real friend was turning against him. He had nothing left, but his baby sister._

"_TELL ME THE TRUTH OR I KILL HER!" he screamed._

"_I AM," he added softer this time, "I am. I swear I am."_

"_Wrong answer," he whispered. Hatter lunged at him, but he heard the definite crack of a neck that was broken._

_March dropped Sophie's lifeless body and stood to defend himself, but it was no use._

_Hatter howled with rage and swung at March strongly, knocking him down. Hatter got on top of him and continued his melee of hits._

_His right hook could break a brick if he tried. That, against a face mixed with Hatter's rage meant that he killed March within the second hit, but he just kept hitting him, unaware of his lifeless body._

_He finally felt himself being pulled away from him, but he just kept swinging._

_He had lost everything._

_He sobbed into the shoulder of one of his mom's family friends, who had always been like an aunt to him and Sophie._

_He felt like it was over, but nothing was ever that easy._

"Hatter?" Alice whispered softly, bringing him back to the present.

"Right. Sorry 'bout that. Umm… he slit my mum's throat, pierced my dad's lungs, causing him to bleed out slowly, set my house on fire with them in it and he broke my sister's neck," after a pause he added, "in front of me."

He didn't need to look at Alice to know how shocked she must look.

"I attacked him and killed him before I knew what was happening," he added.

"Did you get in trouble?" she inquired.

He shook his head and replied, "Everyone knew what he did, so they gave me a break and labeled it self-defense."

She nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Anyway, someone noticed how 'skillfully' he executed my world, I mean family, and brought him back as like a machine, but he never let go of that and he tried again, but I always won," Hatter concluded, sneering at the word skillfully.

Alice pulled Hatter into a hug and he knew that she was crying.

"I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear.

Hatter let the tears fall freely, but all he said was, "I didn't do it. I was telling the truth."

**A/N: That one was longer and harder to write because I didn't want to go overboard and I think I did, but what are you gonna do? I decided to make Hatter emotional in this chapter because in the movie he's more angry and sweet and cocky, but vulnerable isn't shown often enough. Please review. Please, please review! I'll give you a thousand mental hugs and cookies! Please! If you want me to do anything, like you have any idea please tell me!**_atterHhhhh_


	4. Playing With Fire

**A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews that I got! I was absolutely blown away that my once one reader story has 8 reviews. Thank you guys! I'm touched. Now, I'm not sure how long to make this, or how long I'm gonna make this or even what I'm doing next, so bear with me, please.**

**Disclaimer: All of the characters, places and just Alice in general are not mine, but I do own Sophie, Hatter's parents, and basically Hatter's entire past… and future. Enjoy!**

**Playing with Fire**

Alice's P.O.V

Alice held Hatter for as long as he would allow.

She wasn't sure if he was letting her hug him because it made _him _feel better, or because it made _her _feel better.

She had always considered her past sad, but Hatter's gave the word a new definition.

He had literally lost everything and he never complained or let it slow him down.

Hatter slowly peeled himself away from her and pecked her on the cheek.

"It's fine, love," he began soothingly, answering her earlier question, "I'm fine. It made me the loveable bloke I am today."

Alice stopped sobbing and gave a light chuckle.

Hatter quickly wiped away stray tears and pulled away from Alice entirely.

"Really, I've had 9 years to deal with it. We've got to focus on the task at hand," he boomed confidently, completely ignoring their prior conversation.

Alice cocked an eyebrow at him and swiped at some of her tears angrily. It wasn't fair that Hatter was so amazing and innocent and he had that happen to him.

"Getting you out of here," he explained.

He said it quickly, probably hoping that she didn't hear how he only said 'you' not 'us'.

"Us," Alice replied slightly angry.

His head shot up and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Getting us out of here. You just said getting me out of here. I'm not leaving without you and I'm not letting you stay," Alice replied fiercely, making it be known that she wasn't arguing.

"I wasn't planning on staying," he replied quietly.

Alice's eyes widened as she discovered what he meant.

"March isn't gonna kill you. I'm not gonna let that happen."

He gave her a disbelieving look, but didn't argue.

"Here's what we need to do," Hatter began, his mind already in strategizing mode, "We need to get info. What happened to John,"

"Jack," Alice interrupted.

Hatter shot her a smirk and continued, "Jack, how March took power and most importantly, where is the resistance, these are things we'll need to figure out. But he won't leave the glass open and we'll probably have to pry the stone from his cold dead fingers, so we'll need to start a revolution. In that chaos, you'll make your escape."

"There you go again with the 'you'. I'm not leaving without you," Alice exclaimed.

"Alice, Wonderland's my home. And it's my fault that he took over in the first place. He did it to get to me," Hatter replied, sadly.

"Then let me help! I can do it! I've done it before," Alice yelled.

"Yeah, but with a lot of help. I knew what was happening, we weren't being tracked down by all of Wonderland, Jack actually gave you the Stone of Wonderland, the King stopped you from getting executed, we had the resistance on our side for half of the time, and we had Charlie and WE HAD A BLOODY IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING!" Hatter yelled.

Alice flinched and he sighed.

After a pause, he said, softer this time, "I'm sorry Alice. It's not your fault, I just," he faltered and continued, "we don't even know anything and we're being hunted by a psychopath. We have no friends and we don't even know who's alive or if there is a resistance. I love you, Alice and I'm not getting you hurt or killed because I have a past."

Alice rolled her eyes and scowled, "I'm not going anywhere. This isn't your fault. This is whoever turned him in's fault. I'm a black belt and even your killer right hook isn't going to make me leave. I'll help. Now, how do we deal with the wanted posters?"

Hatter frowned and suggested, "Hadn't thought of that. Umm…we mug some guards and steal their uniforms?"

Alice had noticed that the officers and guards all wear black pants, zipped up black leather jackets, black leather boots and black helmets. It was probably easy to move in and the helmet protected their heads, but it also made them perfect disguises. Thankfully there were female officers so Alice would be okay.

"Are you sure you're okay to do this?" Alice inquired, shooting Hatter a sympathetic glance.

"The first step in our plan, is for you to stop looking at me like it happened yesterday," he joked halfheartedly, "I'm fine. Seriously. Now, let's go find some cops."

She laughed weakly and stood.

"Let's go start a revolution," Alice exclaimed.

Hatter's P.O.V

Finding and taking out the guards had been easy. They'd been prowling everywhere in search of Alice and Hatter and they weren't nearly as well trained.

They quickly became garbed in cop apparel and made off into town.

Alice stuck close to Hatter, because she still had no idea where she was going. Hatter had to admit, he was terrified.

He pushed his past to the back of his mind and decided to ignore the dull ache in his heart.

Alice squeezed his hand reassuringly.

She hadn't forgotten about his past. He hadn't wanted to tell her because she would pity him and he didn't need pity or comfort.

He had been living with this for more than four years and he wasn't going to start wallowing in self-pity now.

He made his way to his old tea shop and the quick walk was silent.

The streets were empty. It was as if the entirety of Wonderland had gone into hiding.

Hatter probably wasn't that far off. He couldn't imagine having to live under Mad March's tyranny.

"It's so quiet," Alice whispered from behind him, "How are we going to get help?"

He didn't reply, but he took off in a run when his tea shop came into sight, dragging Alice behind him. He noticed a few men in black at the door and he froze causing Alice to ram into him from behind.

"Ouch," she muttered.

"Not gonna work. Let's find the library and pray he hasn't already," Hatter whispered so that the guards wouldn't hear.

He began the familiar journey to the Great Library and hoped that it was still there.

Once there, Hatter knocked on the door and waited.

He didn't hear anything, so he took off his helmet and knocked again. He motioned for Alice to do the same.

Hatter frowned at the silence that followed and prepped himself to break down the door.

"Looks like nobody's home. I bet they won't mind it if we hide out there for the time being. Who knows, maybe we'll find a clue to the new resistances hide out," Hatter replied, moving his elbow to ram it in the door when he thought heard a soft female voice whisper, "Hatter?"

He gave Alice a confused look, which she matched.

She heard it to.

Tentatively he replied, "Uhh… yeah. That'd be me. Owl?"

Owl had once been the woman to let you in along with her husband Newt. Hatter figured that it was a 50/50 chance that it was her who was speaking to him.

A long silence ensued and Hatter was sure that he'd imagined the voice when the door opened and he was hastily yanked in. He grabbed Alice's hand, pulling her in too.

The door slammed shut and he found himself enveloped in a hug.

"Hatter, me boy. Thank goodness you're still alive. Owl and I thought that if you ever came back you'd be murdered!" a voice that he recognized as Newt exclaimed.

The car jerked suddenly and Alice yelped.

Hatter pulled away from Newt and helped her up.

"Ello mates. We cool then?" he inquired, recalling that they hadn't parted on the greatest terms.

"Of course," Owl screeched, "You saved us from the Queen along with your lady friend. We owe you. We're taking you to the boss now. He'll be overjoyed to see you."

Hatter cocked an eyebrow at her in response. Dodo overjoyed to see them? That was a stretch. Last time he'd seen him, Dodo had shot Hatter.

"What happened since we left?" Alice inquired softly.

The mood sobered up immediately and Newt replied, "Jack led a peaceful reign over Wonderland for many years, but someone brought _him _back. He almost killed Jack, so he fled, not having the reserves to defeat him. Luckily, March has never been able to find this place. He was strict and cruel and he was obsessed with finding you. He took control of the looking glass and brought oysters in, but as entertainment. They were slaves. He would devise plans to get you over here. He was insane."

Owl continued, "Everyone is in hiding. We've housed a lot of them here."

"Jack's alive?" Alice inquired hopefully. Hatter felt a surge of jealousy at the hope in her voice.

"Of course, silly," Owl replied jovially once again.

Alice smiled lightly and that jealously flared up. He knew that it was ridiculous to be jealous. She was probably pleased because she and Jack were good friends. Hatter was confident in their relationship. He loved her and she loved him, but he was still a guy and Jack was still he ex-boyfriend.

"Is Dodo in a good mood? Because I wouldn't want him to shoot me like the last time," Hatter joked weakly while they were heading to the boss.

Owl gave him a confused look and replied, "Dodo's been dead for years. He was one of the first casualties."

Hatter's eyes widened and he muttered, "Oh, I'm sorry."

They lapsed back to the awkward silence and he glanced around.

The library was the same as he remembered; except it was more crowded and everyone looked ready for war.

"Hatter, you already know Jack, the boss," Newt exclaimed excitedly, gesturing to the blonde man in the chair in front of them.

"Hello Hatter," he glanced fondly at Alice and stood to greet her. He kissed her hand and murmured, "Always a pleasure, Alice."

This was going to be more challenging then Hatter first anticipated.

**A/N: Well? What did you think? Opinions? Thoughts? Critiques? Suggestions? I'd love any and all that you guys have. This time I'm bribing you with imaginary cupcakes. I warn you, I make a mean imaginary cupcake.**


	5. Old Habits

**A/N: I'm super sorry that it took me this long to update. I had a very serious case of writers' block. It's very serious because it's the first I've had. I always know what to write next so, this has disturbed me deeply. I just want all of this to be really good for my readers! I'd like to thank my awesome reviewers for being awesome. And epicdisney's stories are amazing so just read them. Plus any Hatter fans that are reading this should read 'Crumbs in the Better' by Kailita. Her story is epicness and no one reads it. Thanks again. **

**P.S. I'm gonna try to do a different point of view for this chapter. I want you guys to comment on it because if you don't like it, I won't do it again. Swear.**

**Old Habits**

Hatter's P.O.V

"Jack," I spoke quickly, clearing my throat and alerting them to my presence.

Jack released Alice's hand reluctantly, but never removed his eyes from Alice's. Alice looked at her feet and blushed lightly, no doubt from the attention Jack was giving her.

I felt a sudden desire to tear his head off, but I refrained, managing to add, "Nice to see you."

Jack smiled weakly at my statement and nodded.

"Of course," he replied quietly, his eyes flicking curiously between me and Alice.

"Where's Duchess?" I inquired. It was a low blow, but I didn't appreciate the way he was looking at my girlfriend.

Alice cast me an accusing glare, but I merely shrugged and gave her an innocent look.

Jack didn't miss a beat however, replying, "Somewhere around here," nonchalantly.

Jack's gaze found its way to Alice again and I suddenly grew angrier.

I tried the blunt approach and requested, "Can you please stop starin' at my girlfriend, yeah? If this is gonna work you've gotta stop that."

Alice shot me a look but I ignored her.

_I _was clearly in the right here.

Jack looked away and gave me a sorry look.

"Right," he clapped his hands together and continued awkwardly, "You're completely right. Old habits and all that. I didn't know you too were serious though."

When Alice didn't reply, I said, "Yeah, for a few months now."

This time I shot her a look, but she pointedly avoided eye contact.

Noticing the tension between us, Jack stated, "I'm going to find Duchess. She really liked you, Hatter. She thought you were clever when you talked that one time before you left."

He left the room quickly, motioning for Newt, Owl and his guards to follow.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Hatter?" Alice inquired, softly after the room was cleared.

I glanced at her in confusion.

Her voice sounded calm, but her words made me know that she was angry. She was always calm when she was angry.

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" I countered angrily.

"I'm not the one being a jerk to your ex-girlfriend, here."

"Trust me, if by some slim chance you were to meet any of my ex-girlfriends, you wouldn't live long enough to be a jerk to them," I murmured.

"Excuse me? Don't be a smart-ass, Hatter. I'm serious."

I rolled my eyes and replied, "So am I. I never had a proclivity to the nonlethal girls."

Alice scowled and I added, "I didn't do anything wrong. All I did was ask him to stop looking at you like he's seen under the hood and would like to again."

"Don't be gross Hatter," she scoffed.

"I'm being honest. And since I am, I wanna know why you're reacting to him like that."

Alice looked up at me in confusion, meeting my eyes for the first time.

"I don't know what you're going on about," she answered quietly, but I knew that she was lying.

"Well, I'll explain it for you," I continued, "He kisses your hand, you smile. He ogles you, you blush. He asks you about our relationship, you pretend to be deaf."

Alice looked up at me guiltily and I was suddenly scared to know the reason.

"You don't still have feelings for him do you?" I inquired nervously.

She made an incredulous face and immediately denied.

"No. God, no. I love you," she exclaimed.

I looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to finish.

"It's just flattering, ok? It's been awhile since anyone other than you has looked at me like that and every once in a while it's nice," she explained.

I felt all of my anger drain from my body and I glanced at her numbly.

"I love you, too. So, yeah, I got a little jealous," I explained.

Alice looked up at me again and smiled lightly.

"I'm sorry, let's just calm down. It's been a really stressful day for both of us," Alice whispered soothingly. She stepped closer to me and opened her arms for a hug.

I smiled at her and pulled her close to me.

"You're right. We need to be objective."

Alice pecked me on the cheek before pulling away. The gesture let me know that we were okay, but it also told me that she wasn't over my past. She was waiting for me to crack because that is what she would've done.

The doors flung open and Jack and the Duchess entered.

Duchess looked lovely in her gold one shouldered top and her black leather pants. Her gold hair was pulled back into a high pony tail. She looked ready to fight, but I wasn't sure how comfortable that outfit was.

She walked toward me and pulled me into a light hug exclaiming, "Hatter! Lovely to see you. I wasn't sure you'd ever come back!"

I hugged her back and replied, "Neither was I, but I didn't have much of a choice."

Alice cleared her throat nervously and I took that as my signal to pull away.

"Alice, nice to see you as well. I love the all black look you're going for," Duchess greeted half-heartedly, gesturing to Alice's all black ensemble.

Alice was wearing black skinny leather pants, a black leather jacket and black leather boots that went to her knees. Paired with her black hair, pale skin and blue eyes, she looked stunningly beautiful and sexy.

"Thanks. It wasn't for style as much as disguise," her eyes flicked back to me and she continued, "I didn't know you two knew each other."

I nodded and replied, "Yeah. I met her a few times before I decided to join you and we got some time to talk."

"Hatter's quite funny and charming," Duchess added with a slow seductive smile.

Alice's lips twitched almost imperceptibly and I smiled lightly.

Alice was jealous.

Jack cleared his throat and said, "Why exactly are you here?"

Alice began to tell him the story of our arrival, leaving out the location of my secret hideaway behind the waterfall which was only minutes away from my childhood home **(A/N: That's for you epicdisney.)** and including how she had been unconscious for hours before I came.**(A/n: Again, epicdisney.)**

She also didn't mention my past, which pleased me deeply.

"That is unfortunate. Why does he hate you?"

I shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Most do after a while."

Duchess snorted at my attempt at humor.

"Well, why is he trying to kill you this time?" Jack persisted.

I shot him a lazy smile and replied, "Old habits and all that."

**A/N: This is more of filler. I wanted to show a little conflict. I also wanted Duchess and Hatter to be friends. They never said how long it took Hatter to follow Alice so I improvised. I also wanted to add some of that beloved Hatter charm and humor. Don't worry, Duchess doesn't like Hatter like that, they're just buddies but she's flirty by nature so, yeah. Tell me if you like the point of view because if you don't I won't do it again. And epicdisney, if you are reading this, notice that I 'explained' a little more. If you are reading this, please review.**


	6. My First

**A/N: I got a little burst of inspiration, but I'm not sure if it's good. Please review if you're reading this. I don't care if you hate it or love it or are just really lazy, my oh so fragile self-esteem is very nervous about how good this story is. I'm not sure if it is. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Alice. Don't claim to. Don't sue me.**

**My First**

Alice's P.O.V

I smiled at Hatter's attempt to hide what he was feeling.

I knew there was no way that his past wasn't bothering him, but it made me wonder what else he was hiding from me. It made me seriously question how much I knew about him.

We were always talking, but it was mainly about me or his life now or his job as a contractor.

I couldn't bring it up then because our relationship was the last thing the resistance, or Jack, cared about. I'd have to be more vigilant in learning about Hatter though.

"Well, as hilarious as you are Hatter, this is serious. Wonderland is on the line and March is even more vicious than my mother was," Jack scolded seriously. Hatter shot me a 'is he kidding me' look and rolled his eyes.

"No offense, mate, but I in no way want to share my life story with you," Hatter replied calmly.

"None taken. However, we need to know any and all of Mad March's weaknesses, so if you know something, you'd better speak up."

Hatter let out a deep breath and I was surprised at how calmly he was taking all of this. Jack wasn't exactly his favorite person in the world.

"Alright. Here's a weakness. His head is a cookie jar. Just punch him. It'll be easier than how I've had to kill him. They used to bring him back with his head and skull," he glanced at Duchess jokingly, "Trying breaking that."

"Hatter, stop being gross," I scolded. I wished he was taking all of this more seriously.

He shrugged and added more seriously, "He wants to kill me because over a decade ago he thinks I turned him in for stealing and stealing animals in the town. His parents were gonna ship him off to the loony bin and he thinks I did it. He's hated me ever since."

"Did you do it?" Jack inquired.

"No. I didn't but I'm glad someone did. He's a sociopath."

I knew he was lying. His smile was a little too forced and his eyes were a little too wide. They were small signs, but they were signs nonetheless.

"Yes, of course," Jack murmured.

"As much as I love chatting with you, how are we gonna get Alice home? And do you know what happened to Charlie?" Hatter inquired. I noticed how strained his words seemed. He was probably very worried about Charlie.

"He's running the second rebel base in the white knights' old abode. He's training a new class of white knights," Hatter and I simultaneously let out breath, "I'm afraid we can't get Alice home until we defeat Mad March. He controls the looking glass."

Hatter nodded and said, "Well then I'll help you take him down."

"So will I," I added, ignoring the way Hatter tensed.

Jack clapped his hands together and boomed, "Excellent. I hoped you would join us," I noticed that he looked at me when he said it. He clearly didn't want Hatter with us.

Jack turned at his guard and commanded, "Send for my lieutenant. I'm sure she'd like to meet the both of you."

Hatter nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

I took the lull in action as an opportunity to talk to him.

"Hatter, how are you holding up?" I inquired soothingly.

Jack glanced over at us curiously but didn't say a word.

Hatter smiled his forced smile again and turned to face me.

"Geez, it didn't happen yesterday Alice. I'm fine. I've been dealing with it for a little over ten years. I think I'll be fine."

"Did you wanna talk abo-"

"No, Alice. I don't wanna talk about it. There is nothing to talk about. And talking about it won't help."

"Whenever I talk about what's bothering me, I feel better," I argued. I just wanted Hatter to open up to me like I'd been doing for about a year.

"Well we're different in that respect aren't we? I don't need to spill my guts, Alice. I don't need you to check on me. And I definitely don't need to talk about my damn feelings." His voice rose near the end causing me to flinch.

Noticing this, Hatter took a calming breath and said, "I'm sorry Alice. I'm just not used to being pitied. I'm not about to fall apart on you Alice. Stop waiting for me to."

I nodded and replied, "Okay. I won't push you."

I noticed Jack roll his eyes in the background and Duchess yawned.

Suddenly, the doors swung open and a woman stepped in.

She was stunning.

Her red hair was chopped into a pixie which framed her small heart shaped face well. She was a little shorter than me and she had a thin willowy figure. She was wearing a green jean jacket and a white camisole underneath and a pair of green cargo pants. She had a gun strapped to her waist. Her all green ensemble matched her thin sparkling eyes. She was pale and she had a smattering of freckles across her cheeks.

Hatter's jaw dropped and I smacked him on the arm.

"Seriously? Right in front of me?" I asked incredulously.

He shook his head and replied, "It's not like that. I know her."

"Hatter, Alice I'd like you to meet my second in command, Julia. She's brilliant," Jack boomed.

"David? It's you!" Julia exclaimed. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Hatter.

I frowned deeply and Hatter whispered, "It's good to see you, Jules."

Jack cleared his throat and the two pulled apart, but Hatter kept his arm around her shoulders.

"How do you two know each other?" Jack inquired.

"We used to date," Julia replied and I felt that all too familiar surge of jealousy.

"She was my first love," Hatter added, glancing cautiously at me, taking a step away from her and wrapping an arm around my waist.

Julia blushed and smiled at me tentatively.

"But we were best friends first," Julia added, looking nervously from me to Hatter.

"This is Alice, my girlfriend," Hatter introduced. I noticed her smile falter almost imperceptibly.

She was his first love?

**A/N: I bet you all were thinking that Jack would be the only old flame returning. Wrong. Surprised you didn't I? It was on yesterday and I got a little inspiration from Hatter's line about liking someone. It made me think he had a sad previous relationship. I like Julia. She's gonna be spunky. Please review!**


	7. The Death of David

**A/N: I'd like to thank my awesome reviewers! This story is slowly building up steam. Yay! Anyway, enjoy and review! And in case you guys haven't noticed, the titles don't mean anything. They just sound really cool. I have general idea for them like the chapter 'Playing with Fire' was meant to mention Jack as Alice's old Flame, but they aren't too literal.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Alice or any of its characters. But I do own Julia. Hehehe!**

**The Death of David**

Hatter's P.O.V

My life was becoming more and more like one of those soap operas that Alice's mom raved about with each second.

The only way this could be worse is if any more of my ex-girlfriends walked into the room and killed Alice or something.

Deciding to break the tension in the room, I said, "Well, this is awkward."

Jack cracked something resembling a smile and adjusted the tie that matched his signature red suit.

"Yes. It is. Let's get out of our mini-drama and get down to business. We don't have all day unfortunately, to make awkward chitchat," Jack boomed in his regal voice.

Everyone's composure immediately tensed and I had to stop myself from laughing obnoxiously. Alice and I were already on edge. I knew like every cliché girlfriend she wanted to talk about my feelings, but I hadn't done that since my parents died.

I knew she was getting frustrated and my ex-girlfriend's arrival hadn't made it any better.

"So fill us in on what we missed," Alice said. I glanced at her and noticed how tired she looked. She looked strained in general and it made it worse that it was inadvertently my fault.

I hated that I'd put her through this.

I hated that March was putting me through this.

Jack began, "Well, Mad March formed his own little alliance with the scum of Wonderland. All of a sudden there was this large jailbreak and certain criminals go missing such as the Drs. As I'm sure you know, because if he truly tortured you, he would've had them there."

Jules tensed and asked, "He tortured you two? We should get the medic in here. Alice, David sit down, please."

Alice replied softly and possibly remorsefully, "They only tortured_ Hatter_." She emphasized the word Hatter and she no doubt was wondering how anyone knew my real name.

Her concerned eyes met mine and she replied, "I knew you looked paler and more bruised. I just thought that you were always like that," she turned to Jack and pleaded, "Jack, surely we can wait a day. David needs medical attention and I'm sure both of them need a good nights' sleep."

Jack opened his mouth to protest, but shut and nodded numbly.

"Yes, I'm sure you guys must be exhausted and you clearly want to talk about all that's happened. Duchess will show you to your room and I'll have a medic sent over immediately," he replied unsurely, eyeing Jules as if he wanted to talk to her.

I nodded and as if on cue felt exhausted. Alice practically supported me on the way to our room. Duchess didn't talk to either of us on our way into one of the rooms. I assumed that she thought we were too tired, but I didn't try to strike up a conversation either.

"Here we are," Duchess announced, swinging open double doors and revealing a small room. It had a double bed and a chair in the corner with blankets resting on it. It was comfortable enough.

"The medic will be here shortly. I'll try to delay him so the two of you can talk," Duchess stated meekly, offering a small smile before leaving.

I made my way to the bed and sat down and Alice slammed the door shut. She turned and stared at me, before commanding, "You can start now."

I nodded, not even bothering to ask what she meant. She wanted to know about Julia and she wanted to know more about my past period.

"Well, after my parents died, I was shipped from orphanage to orphanage because apparently I'm a troublemaker," I paused for Alice to laugh at my small joke, but it became apparent that she was exasperated by my situation. I continued, "Until someone took pity on me and adopted me. I became their slave of sorts. Now they were good people, and they paid me, but nonetheless I had to work for them in a rich village. Naturally, the rich little brats or parents for that matter didn't take well to a poor, orphan, servant-boy in their town so I was picked on mercilessly. Didn't care too much because I was still traumatized, but I met a girl who was very kind, Julia. We became dear friends. Eventually, I fell in love with her and we began dating. Her parents didn't approve and we were only 17 so we weren't adults yet. We planned to run away together. But that night Mad March found me and told me that he'd been watching me and that he'd kill her if I ever saw her again. So, he gave me a day to break it off."

Alice's face, which had once remained indifferent, was contorted in pain for me. I wished that I could just make my past disappear. I was getting really tired of the pity on her face.

"I left her a note and ran away. I lived my life on the road from then on. I told everyone my name was Hatter and in the process I changed. I became deceitful and closed off and everything that I was before you met me."

I paused and gave her a chance to digest the meaning behind his words. She looked up and widened her eyes.

I continued, "Then I met you, and I became more like myself then than ever. I'm still closed off, but I'm much less of a criminal."

Alice offered me a smile.

"Anyway, you can say that my parents' deaths and my having to leave Julia was the death of David," I concluded.

Alice stood and engulfed me in a hug.

I pulled away slightly and pulled her onto my lap.

"Look, Alice, I've done a lot of things and people, frankly, that I'm not proud of," Alice smiled at my joke and I continued, "But you have no reason to be worried or jealous. I love you. I want to be with you and the life I have back in your world is the one I want. I'm fine with everything, Alice."

Alice opened her mouth to protest and I tried the vulnerable approach because she wasn't going to accept anything less.

"Look, Alice," I interrupted, "I can't talk about. I can't think about it. I'm sorry, but if I do, I'll lose it. And if I lose it, I'm not sure I'll be able to calm myself down. I need to be focused to get you home and to take Mad March down."

Alice's eyes shone with unshed tears and she knew that I was right. She nodded softly and murmured, "Ok."

"Besides," I added, "Knowing Mad March he'll try to bring it up as much as possible to torture me."

Alice nodded again and replied, "You're not going to die Hatter. I won't let you. I know you think that you will, but I won't let that happen. He may have been able to kill David, but he's not going to get his hands on Hatter."

I nodded, wishing that I believed her. She leaned over and kissed me on the lips and I knew that we were okay again.

There was a knock on the door and a voice called out, "Hello! I'm the medic! Jack needs you both immediately; he said it's an emergency. I'm to treat you in his office."

Alice and I bolted up and we rand to the door, her still slightly supporting me slightly.

**A/N: I'd like to thank all of my readers! You guys are awesome. I hope that this chapter was satisfying. I fixed their relationship and now, the action starts. Mwahahaha! Sorry about that. Please review!**


	8. Tick Tock

**A/n: I'm sorry that it's taken this long to update, but school started up and I'm going to be updating a lot more frequently. I'm going to add a lot more action this time, but I'm a romantic so, it'll probably be sappy and relationship centered. But I like that and I hope you do too. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alice. Just Kidding, I totally do. Jealous? Well, don't be because I was lying!**

**Tick Tock**

Alice's P.O.V

I watched as the doctor sewed up a large slash on Hatter's arm and he winced like he was in pain.

"How are you holding up, David?" Julia inquired as if _she _was his girlfriend. I absent mindedly wondered if I should call him David, but quickly decided against it. It'd feel too weird.

He offered her a forced smile and replied, "Peachy, how 'bout you?"

She smiled lightly as if she'd been expecting that response and I had to fight a surge of jealousy.

I shouldn't have been jealous really. He chose me. He loved me. His explanation made sense and he couldn't help his past. Besides, he probably didn't love having to see Jack.

Jack cleared his throat and boomed, "I'm sorry that you didn't get any time to rest, but the game has been changed."

Julia, Duchess and I straightened up and even the always relaxed Hatter tensed up.

"You'll need to relax, son. I'm trying to fix you up," the elderly doctor whispered to him. He'd already put a large bandage over the cut on his forehead and put some gauze on his stomach where it was bleeding. He was currently fixing Hatter's last injury, which was a long gash on his upper arm.

Hatter relaxed his body, but his eyes remained alert.

Jack continued, "Earlier this evening, this message was sent out to every home in Wonderland." He pointed the remote that I hadn't noticed in his hand at the screen in front of the large room.

Mad March's face came into view and I tensed up considerably. This would not be good.

"Good evening, loyal subjects," he began with a false cheeriness, "As some of you may know, I have been trying to apprehend this fugitive," he lifted Hatter's wanted poster and Julia cast Hatter a quizzical glance. He ignored and focused wholly on the screen. I couldn't help the surge of happiness that I felt at his nonchalance. Then again, he was that way about everything.

"Well earlier today, we captured him and attempted to torture information about the rebellion out of him," Jack cast me a wary glance and I almost imperceptibly shook my head, "Unfortunately, he attacked me and escaped. On the way to wherever he's hiding out he killed three civilians who got in his way."

"Bull shit. I didn't kill anyone. He's just trying to make me look like a villain! He probably killed them himself," Hatter exclaimed angrily, causing the doctor to scold him.

"We know, David," Julia replied softly and soothingly.

I noticed Jack roll his eyes.

"If anyone has information on this fugitive, please contact me at once. Don't try to apprehend him, for he will kill you," March warned before signing off.

Hatter scowled and I placed a consolatory hand on his shoulder.

"That's not all," Jack continued, "this was sent specifically to our trackers. There's no way he can find us through it of course, but it is still unnerving." He pointed to the TV a second time and once again, Mad March's face appeared on the screen.

He boomed threateningly, "This is for you Hatter. Every hour you don't turn yourself in, I'll kill an innocent Wonderlander and blame you. I'll let Alice leave and I'll continue my rule of Wonderland. How many people have to be hurt or killed before you take responsibility for your crime? Your parents, your baby sister, Julia, and Alice are all victims of your crimes. You're running out of time, Hatter. Tick tock"

The screen went black and we all stood there in silence.

My mouth hung agape and Hatter looked defeated. Suddenly Julia inquired, "What did he mean by me? I know that he killed your family and abducted Alice, but he never hurt me."

"He told me that if I didn't run away he'd kill you," he replied numbly.

Julia gasped, but didn't say anything more, obviously because of my presence.

"What's your plan?" Hatter inquired, and when Jack hesitated he urged, "I know you've got one and I don't care how bad it is, I'll do it."

I frowned widely and eyed him suspiciously.

"I want to use you as bait," Jack blurted out. My and Julia's jaws dropped and we both began our protests.

"No way. Not happening. I'm sorry, think of another plan," I exclaimed as Hatter replied, "I'm in."

I froze and turned to glare at Hatter.

"No you're not Hatter. I don't care what you think you did to deserve torture and death, but you're innocent. You don't deserve a suicide mission. I'm sorry, but I forbid it."

He scoffed, "You forbid it? I'm not a child Alice. You can't stop me."

"Hatter, no! You can't do this. You'll die for sure!"

The doctor stepped away from Hatter, already having finished his arm and quickly fled the room.

"I know I'm innocent, Alice, but so are all of those people. So were my parents and my sister! I can't be the reason a child never sees his father again!"

I saw the sense in his words and knew that he wasn't backing down. He would follow this through with or without my support.

I stood there numbly, unable to say anything for fear of crying. He glanced at me worriedly and asked me if I was alright, but I ignored him. I was not alright.

Jack boomed again, "We must move quickly because our time for unnecessary casualties is running out."

Hatter nodded and glanced at me again briefly before beginning to formulate plans with Jack. Duchess participated as best she could and Julia spoke sadly when she did.

I stood there dejectedly.

Jack had said that our time was running out and I felt like Hatter's was. And my time with him.

Mad March's words, _Tick tock_, echoed in my head continually.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

How long before Hatter's clock stopped ticking?

**A/N: Dramatic right? I know. Please review and you'll get imaginary candy. A stranger offering you candy… doesn't sound right when you think about it like that, does it? Hmm… anyway, I will not be updating as frequently as I once was and I apologize for any errors in spelling or grammar. By the way, in case you were wondering, Charlie's not really in this story. I'll probably add him in at the end at Hatter's funeral. Oops. Did I just tell you that? Are you a little freaked out? Well, don't be because I was kidding. Review if you were a little worried!**


	9. Finding Myself

**A/N: I'd like to apologize for the inordinate amount of time it took me to update. I've been super busy with school and stuff, so it has been difficult to update. I have a bit of a favor to ask of you guys. You see, I'm considering co-writing a story and I want to know what you guys think. If you want to be super nice and help me out, go to my profile page and go to my favorite stories and it is called 'Break My Heart.' I really need some help, you guys. Anyway, message me or review your response. Anywho, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't know Alice. I would come up with a witty aside about who does own it, but I don't who owns it so, you'll have to go without my wit for a chapter. :P**

**Finding Myself**

"_The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others." –Gandhi_

Hatter's P.O.V

Alice stared at me as I pulled on a bulletproof vest in with disdain.

Needless to say, she disproved f my idea. That didn't mean that I'd abandon it.

I knew what he was doing and I knew that it was the right thing. Alice wasn't as trusting in Jack's plan.

"Alice, may we speak for a moment?" Jack called suddenly, causing me to cast him a suspicious glance, which he cleverly avoided.

Alice nodded numbly and he ushered her into another room and slammed the door promptly. Jules took the opportunity and approached me.

Hesitantly, she placed a hand on my shoulder and began, "David, I want you to know that I respect what you're doing."

I noticed that she was using her tone of voice when she disagreed with me, so I prompted, "But?"

She smiled lightly at my familiarity and continued, "But I don't want you to go through with this. David, don't let March take literally everything from you. The Resistance is coming close to fighting him without your," she paused, searching for the right word, "sacrifice."

"You people have no confidence. Both you and Alice are acting like I'm not coming back. If anyone can get through this scot-free, who would it be?" I teased, although I often wondered if I would come back.

"You, I suppose," she murmured sadly, "But David-"

"How is it that you came to join the resistance?" I interrupted, fearing the waterworks that I often associated with women.

She frowned at my interruption, but replied, "It's a long story."

I frowned and stated jokingly, "Well, tell me now, because apparently my number's up."

She frowned deeply and stated, "Not funny."

"I rarely am. Now, tell me."

She blushed slightly and began, "After you left, I found it difficult to ignore how cruel everyone was. And they weren't kind to me because of how I loved you. I became an outcast and decided that I didn't like the prejudiced society that I lived in. So, when the Queen of Hearts took control, I joined the Caterpillar and worked my way up."

"Your parents were ok with that?" I scoffed.

"I ran away shortly after you. Caterpillar adopted me in a way," she whispered in reply.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I muttered apologetically.

"It's not your fault, David. I'm glad that it happened. It made me who I am today. I guess you could say the same, I suppose," she replied nonchalantly.

I frowned and shrugged.

She cocked an eyebrow at me and I elaborated, "I sometimes wonder about David. Who would have been if Mad March hadn't killed him."

"What are you talking about, David?" she inquired, her entire demeanor changing to one of concern.

"Don't call me that, Jules. I'm not David. I'm Hatter. David is dead."

She frowned deeply and placed her hand on my back and stated, "But that's who you are. You're David."

My voice rose as I replied, "I don't know who I am! I just adapt. I'm like a chameleon. Changing with my surroundings! I'm a ghost, Julia!"

She flinched and replied, matching my tone, "You're only a ghost if you want to be! I know you. You're David. The strong, kind, funny, protective guy that everyone loves."

"No I'm not! I'm the closed off, ticking time bomb that explodes over everyone he knows. I'm a black hole who manages to suck the life out everyone and leave them worse off than when I came!"

I was screaming and I knew it, but I couldn't help it. It was wonder that Alice and Jack didn't run in to see what was happening.

"David-" she tried.

"Don't call me that," I snarled.

I stormed off to find my girlfriend.

I had forgotten how easy it was to talk to Julia. I hadn't even realized that I was going through a bit of an identity crisis. I frowned and realized how lame I sounded. I shook my head and tried to focus on my impending mission. I hoped that this would provide me with the redemption I was seeking.

I opened the door where Alice and Jack had left slightly only to hear hushed voices.

I shut it a little bit and strained to hear.

"Jack," Alice's voice whispered.

"Just think about it Alice. I need your thoughts. Please, don't tell me that you don't want to talk about it. I'm aware how awkward it is what with us having dated and failed priorly and with Hatter, but I need your thoughts," Jack whispered urgently.

"I'm good with it of course, but with Hatter, I really can't focus on it until this mission is over. It isn't awkward, but Hatter's fate is all that's on my mind right now. I'm glad you asked, actually. That's sweet of you. I just can't think about anything right now," she replied earnestly.

I opened the door and they both jumped in surprise. Alice's eyes widened and she opened her mouth in shock as if I really _was _a ghost.

I frowned and Alice immediately exclaimed, "Jack's proposing to Duchess."

I nodded and inquired, "Can we talk?"

She frowned, obviously remembering that she was ignoring, but followed me into Jack's office.

Alice's P.O.V

"I already told you what we were talking about, so you don't have to be jealous," I muttered.

He gave me his you're-kidding-me-right look and replied, "You think I'm jealous? After everything we've been through, you think that I'm so insecure that I'd be jealous before this mission?"

I cocked an eyebrow at him and inquired, "Then what is this about?"

"Alice, I'm going on a suicide mission, that I may or may not come back from, against my arch-nemesis whose killed everyone I've ever loved minus you and Julia, and you want to know why I think we should talk?" he inquired sarcastically.

I nodded and replied, "Right, dumb question."

He laughed heartily and it struck me how much I was going to miss that laugh.

"Please don't do it," I murmured almost child-like manner. I felt the tears spilling down my cheeks and didn't bother trying to wipe them.

His demeanor softened and he cradled my face in his strong hands and swept away one of my tears with his thumb.

"You know I have to, love," he whispered.

I nodded and replied, "I know."

I began to sob and collapsed into his warm arms.

"I love you," he whispered softly.

I pulled back to kiss him, savoring the feeling of his lips against mine. I knew that it was fleeting.

He pulled away and leaned his forehead against mine.

"I love you, too," I whispered in reply.

We stayed like that for not nearly long enough until Julia burst in exclaiming, "We have 5 minutes until another killing. Alice must stay here. I'll take you to him."

Hatter sighed and pulled away, pecking me on the forehead before leaving.

"Julia!" I exclaimed.

She turned toward me and cocked her head to the side.

"I don't care how you feel for him because we both know that you still have feelings for him. I don't care how you do it or what it takes, bring Hatter home safe and sound. If, for some reason, he doesn't make it, I'm holding you personally responsible and I hold a grudge," I stated bitterly.

Julia's mouth dropped open and she stared at me in shock.

"Do you understand?" I inquired slowly.

She nodded weakly, shutting her mouth, but her eyes revealed genuine fear.

I walked to the door and watched the one man I loved more than any other walk away from me.

My other half.

My true love.

My soul mate.

It didn't matter how I phrased it.

I was still losing him.

**A/N: No more Alice point of view until like the last chapter. This is going to be a very complex ending and the problem I often have is that I rush the ending and it doesn't sound as good. So there are gonna be like a few more chapters than one would think necessary. Some of them will even be entirely emotional like this one was. Please review and give me suggestions/advice.**


	10. According to Plan

**A/N: Because I feel so bad about the whole not updating thing, I'm gonna update super early because I'm awesome like that. And it's the weekend so no classes. Yay! Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alice.**

**According to Plan**

Hatter's P.O.V

The drive to Mad March's palace was achingly short and, although Julia kept trying to make pleasant conversation, quiet.

I frowned sadly remembering Alice's face as I left. I may have talked a big game about not being scared and coming back alive, but I thought we both knew it was fake.

I wasn't coming back.

Mad March was going to kill me and the only thing I could do was make sure everything went according to Jack's plan and that Mad March was killed.

"Julia, I have a few things to request of you," I stated abruptly.

Julia glanced at me hesitantly, but nodded anyway.

"If you manage to kill Mad March, destroy his brain and all of his organs. Make sure he can't come back and if you get the opportunity to kill him do it no matter what," I paused hesitantly and glanced up at her to look her in the eyes and continued, "When I don't come back, get Alice out of here."

She gave me a disbelieving look and began, "Hatter, I don't kno-"

"It wasn't a request. It was a demand. She won't leave so willingly. She'll want to be here to mourn me and all that, but you've got to get her out of here. Knock her out, drag her kicking and screaming, but get her out of here and destroy the Looking Glass."

She nodded sadly and inquired, "Anything else?"

I nodded and replied, "Don't let her see my body."

She nodded grimly and stated, "Hatter, I-"

"Please don't. I know you're going to say something about us or what if we never ended and I don't want to talk about it. It won't do any good. I'm a dead man walking."

She looked like she wanted to protest, but the driver of our jeep (**I know pretty advanced since last time, but it's been a long time. SO, bear with me.) **suddenly exclaimed, "We're here. We're a little late though."

He said it nonchalantly as if I hadn't just cost someone their life, even though the murders were on a need-to-know basis and he didn't need to know.

I leapt out of the car and started running in the direction of the large castle, ignoring Julia's screams.

I heard a loud bang and froze.

Another life. Another soul on my conscience. I needed to end this.

Julia caught up to me and exclaimed, "Are you insane? You could've been killed!"

I ignored her question and muttered gruffly, "Plan. Now. Go."

She nodded sadly and ran back to the cart without another word.

I paused hesitantly and thought about what I was doing. I was giving myself up. Unofficially ending my life.

I began walking towards the large black castle. It looked like a medieval villain's castle in fairytales with its black walls and sharp edges. I figured that was what March was going for.

I approached the gate silently, still in my all black guard's uniform, and pulled on my helmet. As was expected, several guards were stationed at the gates.

I stood erect and approached them confidently, but when I neared the door, they stopped me and the closest one ordered in a harsh voice, "Remove your helmet for identification."

I stopped myself from cursing under my breath. They'd obviously heard about Alice's and my theft of the uniforms. I quickly decided that I had two options. One was fight my way out of this. A quick glance at my surroundings proved that I was outnumbered 10 to one and all of them were armed with huge guns while all I had was a small gun.

My second and favorite choice was to lie my ass off and hope they buy it.

That just happened to be my specialty.

"Can't do that, mate," I replied calmly.

The guards tensed and drew their weapons.

"Why not?" he inquired angrily.

"See those cameras there," I motioned to the various cameras that were pointed in our direction. When he nodded I continued, "Well, I'm assuming the boss man is watching us right now, correct?"

Hesitantly, he nodded so, I continued, "Well, the other day while the boss was in one of his moods, I bumped him in the hall and he ordered for me to be executed. Of course my helmet was off, so he saw my face. Anyway, the guards let me go and said to avoid him and keep the helmet on. If I take it off, he sees me and I'm dead. Do me a solid, mate. You know how he gets."

I looked at him nervously and saw him press a hand to his ear. Most likely that meant that Mad March was talking to him about me.

He glanced at me again and answered quietly, "No sir. This is just one of the patrollers you sent out reporting back. No sightings. No intruders, sir."

He removed his finger and clapped me on the back, saying, "Aye, I do. We slaves have to stick together. You're free to go, mate. Good luck."

I smiled widely and let out a chuckle. I replied, "Thanks. I'll need it."

He chuckled lightly and let me pass. The doors opened when I got near enough and smiled at what I had heard.

The guards obviously hated March. They were like dominoes all lined up and all it would take was a push to start a war. I intended to be the one to push them.

I looked nervously down the hall upon arrival and tried to recall the blueprints that Jack had showed me. I had tried to memorize them, but something or someone **(*cough cough* Alice *cough*) **had distracted me.

I decided to take a chance and took a left. The halls were bustling with activity. Men and women in uniforms marched through the halls and men in various lab coats scurried by.

Jack's voice filled my ear through the headset I was wearing. It was part of the helmet and I actually liked it. He said, "Hatter? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah. Are you set up?" I inquired.

"Not quite yet. Give us some time," he replied calmly.

"Oh. Ok. Take all of the time you need. Sit back. Have a cup of tea. I'll just sit here and wait until Mad March kills me or somebody else. But as long as you're enjoying it. Take good care of Alice, now Jackie boy."

He chuckled lightly and replied, "Setting everything up isn't an easy task, Hatter. We've got to do this right or you're as good as dead. Where are you?"

"Honestly, I have no idea."

"You weren't studying the map? What were you doing?"

"Preparing to die, saying good bye to Alice, writing a novel, the usual."

I could almost hear Jack roll his eyes.

"Hatter, this situation isn't funny," he scolded.

"Nah. Dying is freaking hilarious."

"What floor are you on?" he inquired, ignoring my sarcastic remarks.

"First, I think."

"Hatter, what you need to do is-"

His voice became static and I heard Mad March's voice through my headset. He said, "I'd like to see all of the guards in my office, now."

I froze and looked around. I noticed all of the guards turn and begin walking in one direction.

"Hatter? What happened?" Jack inquired urgently.

"Can't talk now, Jackie boy. Get set up," I murmured, following the other guards before pressing the button that turned my headset off.

Mad March's office was huge. It managed to fit a lot of guards. I only saw 50 guards which meant that March had told some of them not to come.

His office was entirely gray. It had gray walls, floors, a desk and a chair.

However, scattered along his wall were various newspaper clippings. Upon closer examination, I noticed that all of them were about me. They were about my parents' deaths, Sophie's demise, the various times that I'd killed him and everything else under the sun. There were also various candid pictures of me. It was clear that he'd been stalking me and I didn't know that they were being taken.

I frowned at the ones with my parents. He'd been stalking me long before our falling out. I felt a sudden wave of fear and nausea flow through me. This was more intense than I had first assumed.

He was obsessed.

He clapped his hands together and boomed happily, "Everyone remove your helmets, immediately."

He seemed to look at me when he said it and I stiffened.

Everyone immediately removed their helmets, which left me standing there with mine on.

He smiled maniacally and approached me, circling me like I was prey.

"You disobey me, soldier?" he inquired jokingly. I was positive that he knew it was me. I was also positive that nothing was set up yet.

The other soldiers parted and clung to the walls, avoiding March's wrath.

I didn't dare to speak, lest he hear me and recognize my voice.

"Remove your helmet," he commanded.

Determined on seeing this through and buying myself time, I shook my head.

He frowned slightly and continued, "Remove your helmet. I want to see the light leave your eyes as I kill you."

I frowned and shook my head again.

No way was I going out lying down.

"Fine. I'll have them remove it for me. Your choice," he mused, motioning for the guards to approach.

I held up my hand and motioned for them to wait. I was not going to be manhandled.

I removed my helmet and the room collectively gasped.

"Did you think you were clever? Lying your way into my castle and secretly communicating with Jack? I must admit, you fooled my guards and it would've worked of you had realized that I can tune into the frequency of these helmets. Now, what are you planning?"

I smiled widely and replied, ignoring him, "So, Marchie, looks like someone has a little bit of a crush on me. Sorry, mate, I'm taken."

His practically glowed with fury.

"It matters not. I most certainly don't have a crush on you. But Alice is lovely. She'll soon be available when I'm through with you," he replied smugly.

I frowned and grit my teeth. If he laid a finger on Alice I'd-

"Come to my mausoleum. Like the ancient Greeks, I believe in killing my enemies publicly. I'll gather everyone else. Grab him."

I struggled when they first grabbed me, but I stopped after I realized how hopeless it was.

My only hope was that the plan would still work in the mausoleum and that he would take his time. I only needed to buy my team time. I intended on doing just that.

Among the many things I was sure of, I was positive that nothing else would go according to plan.

**A/N: How did you guys like it? Was it great? Did it suck? I tried to be descriptive and humorous at the same time. Turns out, I'm not gonna co-write a story. I have a hard enough time updating and studying. Please review! Feel free to tell me if I'm not funny. **


	11. Over

**A/N: I know that it's taken me awhile to update, but I'm trying to word this eloquently and well, but I'm not so sure. I'd like to thank all of my amazing reviewers because you're amazing! I'll have a big shout-out on the last chapter, but for now, I won't. I really hope this is good, because I'm trying to make it good. By the way, who do you guys think told the cops? I've already introduced them. It may or not be a main character, but s/he has already held a conversation with Hatter. You'll figure it out soon. Hehehe! Please, enjoy!**

**Over**

Hatter's P.O.V

Two of Mad March's guards grabbed my arms and led me out into the hallway. I briefly considered escaping, but I needed to buy time, not escape. Besides, all of March's guards followed me out.

They regarded me as if I was wearing a bomb or had _them _outnumbered.

"I believed your crock of a story. All you were trying to do was kill the boss," The guard to my left muttered under his breath. I immediately recognized him as the guard who had let me in.

"Can you blame me, mate?" I inquired, loudly enough for the rest of the guards to hear.

He chuckled lightly and replied, "You're stupider than I thought. Pissing off the boss is a bad move. He's been psycho since he was born. My philosophy is if you can't beat 'em, which you can't, join 'em. So that's what I did. Don't be stupid."

"I didn't do anything wrong. And I didn't come here to kill him. I came here to save a life," I muttered angrily in reply.

"Who cares about that? Save yourself. That's what I do," he replied.

"I can tell."

He ignored me and continued, "I remember this one time I went to the cops about the boss, we grew up together by the way, and spread this rumor that someone else did. I'm still here, so it worked."

For the first time, I looked up at him and noticed that conveniently enough, he wasn't wearing his helmet.

He had a broad nose and a cleft chin. His blue eyes were cocky and his long brown hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat. He looked eerily familiar.

"What's your name?" I inquired slowly.

He gave me a suspicious glance, but replied, "John. Why?"

I vaguely remembered a young man named John who was a womanizing tool and their likeness was uncanny.

I stiffened and my eyes widened.

"What?" He inquired, stepping away from me.

"I was that kid," I muttered angrily.

Apparently, while all of this was happening, I was being led quickly outside to an Ancient Grecian mausoleum. Being wrapped up in my own mini soap opera, I didn't realize that I was there until I was shoved into the center of it.

Now, picture one of those old stadiums that those poor bastards would be shoved into with a hungry lion or something similar and you've got Mad March's mausoleum.

And, with my luck, I was now one of those poor bastards, except, again with my shitty luck, I was stuck there surrounded by all of Wonderland, thousands of armed guards, with video monitors streaming my every movement to all of Wonderland who were hiding, and I was stuck there with an extremely lethal, sadistic, armed and angry Mad March.

I was so lucky.

I knew instinctively that Alice was watching this and that she was crying.

I saw the cameras and tried to convince myself that I was on the field during one of those baseball games that I liked to watch, but I found it hard.

I looked around nervously for any sight of my team, and thought that I saw a glimpse of a sniper, but I couldn't be sure.

They needed time. I would give them time.

"Remove his bullet proof vest," he barked.

The guards' uniform was a long leather jacket that zipped up in the middle and it had a bulletproof vest built in. To remove it meant to remove my shirt.

To be honest, removing my shirt so that all of Wonderland could see it was not something that I had ever planned on doing. Ever. That coupled with being tortured to death made me seriously miss cuddling up on the couch with Alice back home.

A guard came up and removed my vest before quickly retreating. My eyes never left March's.

He smiled cruelly and inquired, "Anything you wanna confess in front of all of Wonderland and at the end of your life?"

I smiled brightly and we slowly began approaching each other.

I replied, "Yeah actually. I didn't kill any of the people March accused me of killing."

I noticed that everyone in Wonderland's clothes were tattered and dirty. Some of them were crying lightly and I assumed that due to my wanted posters, I had become sort of a figure of rebellion over the years.

He smiled evilly and replied, "You're still not brave enough to admit what you did? I killed your parents, your sister, all of you aunts, uncles and family friends. I ruined your first love and I've tortured everyone who has ever even looked in your direction and you still haven't been honest with me. That's very sad, Hatter. Or do you go by David now?"

I shrugged and replied, "Call me whatever you want. You're the one with the gun and the unwilling slaves, I mean subjects, not me."

I heard a few murmurs throughout the crowd. Obviously people had never heard their 'leader' spoken to in such a manner.

We were face-to-face and as if by instinct, he punched me in the jaw abruptly. Hard.

I looked up in shock and saw him shaking his hand as if in pain with a smile on his face.

"I'm going to kill you, Hatter. I'm going to kill you and make Alice and everyone else see that no one can oppose me. They've seen your poster and held out hope that if you could defy me then so could they. They're wrong. They are going to watch you bleed out until your heart fails. And, if by some chance, you defeat me, I have archers everywhere who won't hesitate to shoot you and put me back together. You've lost and Alice is going to die too. You can't protect her," He muttered very seriously, all sense of glee gone.

I smiled smugly and replied, "Is this the only way you can beat me? Armed, surrounded by guards and with an audience? Can't you fight me one on one without any help, because I don't lose if you cheat. Cheaters forfeit."

He smiled sadistically and said, "I outsmarted you, Hatter. That's not cheating, that's called strategizing. You would know. You're doing it now to buy time. You're hoping for the resistance to save you, but they won't."

I frowned deeply and replied, "Why not?"

"Because in a matter of minutes, my guards will find and kill them on sight," He paused to see my reaction, which I unsuccessfully tried to keep calm, "Now, let's begin. I'm tired of your stalling."

I opened my mouth to object when, fast as lightning, he lifted up his leg and slammed it into my stomach, which sent me toppling back.

I gasped for breath and struggled to breathe at all.

He quickly moved over to me and kicked my stomach repeatedly.

I didn't say or do anything during the melee of attacks. If I yelled or said as much as ow, he'd take it as a victory.

I coughed violently and knew without looking that I was coughing up blood or something equally as painful like a lung or something. He stopped kicking and grabbed my hair, yanking me up and punching my face.

He motioned to do it again, but reached up and caught his hand. Quickly and despite the unbearable pain in my ribs, I swept his legs out from under him.

He fell and crashed to the ground. I scrambled to stand up, but my torso didn't like that idea.

Mad March rapidly and gracefully got to his feet just as I had, except a lot less gracefully.

He whipped out a knife from his sleeve and slashed at me, and I immediately felt wetness across my stomach. Instinctively I cried out and I didn't have to look up at him to know that Mad March was smirking.

I glanced up at him and saw him pointing a gun at my stomach.

I knew that while the position looked random, it was probably aimed at a specific organ that would cause me to bleed out slowly and irreparably.

"Goodbye Hatter. This has been fun," he exclaimed smugly.

I suddenly heard a bang and the entire stadium ducked.

I heard someone scream and one of the guards around me collapsed. I smiled widely at Mad March.

He frowned and fired, but I was gone. I ran towards the first exit I saw, ignoring my various aches and pains.

"David! Come on!" I heard Julia's familiar voice exclaim.

As predicted, I saw Julia running towards me. I smiled so widely. I had never been so relieved in all of my life.

A bunch of resistance members had appeared from above and they were struggling to get all of the civilians out of the mausoleum. Another group was rounding up guards. I saw a sniper trying to get a good aim at Mad March. This was how a plan should look.

I froze and screamed at Mad March, "John Kingsley. He turned you in. He's one of your guards."

March froze and we just glared at each other. Julia had reached me and was trying to drag me away, but I remained planted in my spot.

For the first time in years, I was looking at my best friend. The one I had saved from getting the shit beaten out of him. The one who laughed at my lame jokes. The one who had convinced me to ask out the girl I liked or crash the party I wasn't invited to.

I remembered the two of us spray-painting John's house and fighting the 'cool' kids to stop them from killing him. I remembered when my mom made us cookies after school and my dad taking us to various fights, games etc. and chasing Sophie when she eavesdropped in on my conversation or went through my stuff.

He lifted the gun and pointed it at me.

"I'm ending this," he yelled almost apologetically.

We had reached a point of no return. I couldn't forgive him. I couldn't forget what he did to me. I couldn't overlook the things he's done. Neither could Wonderland. He couldn't look over what he'd become.

At that point it was either him or me.

He fired and I cringed. The sniper behind him fired and I cringed again.

It was over.

**A/N: As you guys can probably tell, the next chapter will be the last. I don't really know what I'm going to do next. I could kill him. I could not. I don't really know. The next chapter is going to be entirely in Alice's P.O.V. Please tell me what you think. Did I rush it? Did I do it well? Tell me what you think. You can even flame me.**


	12. Home

**A/N: I'd like to thank all of my reviewers. I'd like to thank Alaina Downs, Phantasmic Dragon, AngelBaby214, Emmauk26, epicdisney and DragonRose4. You guys are the best reviewers a girl could ask for. I'd like to thank Alaina Downs, my first reviewer for being amazing and faithful and giving my story a shout-out in hers. This is my last chapter and I've decided what I'm going to do. Please review for the very last time! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alice. Tear…**

**Home**

Alice's P.O.V

I paced anxiously across the palace floor, biting my nails in anticipation.

It had been a week since the big fight went down and all of the criminals were incarcerated, all of March's limbs destroyed and Jack was king again. He and Duchess would be married soon and after the funeral I would be heading home.

I still couldn't believe it.

The memory of that day assaulted me vividly.

_I watched the TV in absolute horror._

_The plan had been for Hatter to give the Resistance time to set up a sniper aimed at Mad March and others slowly infiltrate his palace. When everyone had been moved to the Mausoleum it had been altered only slightly._

_I bit the inside of my cheek as I watched all of the events unfold and I thought that everyone would be safe when Hatter ran, but when he turned back I knew there'd be casualties._

_When the shot rang out I didn't look I just pulled up a chair and sat staring at the door._

_A few Resistance members carried Hatter and Julia in. I knew that one of them would never wake up._

Hatter entered the room quickly, breaking me out of my stupor.

He looked dashing in his black tux and matching black fedora. However, his face was contorted very visibly in pain. His arm was in a sling from one of the bullet wounds he'd sustained. I was glad that he was trying to mask his emotions anymore, but his pain almost hurt me. I loved him and wished that I could have taken it away.

I remembered holding him when he came to while he sobbed in my shoulder. He looked so broken. So lost.

"_She's gone. I might as well have been holding the gun. I've killed everyone who has ever been close to me, except for you," Hatter sobbed. I knew how hard it must've been for him._

"_And I'm not going anywhere. Hatter this isn't your fault. This is March's," I answered soothingly._

_He sniffled and pulled away slowly. He looked at me sadly and stated, "I love you, Alice. I can't lose you. Marry me, please."_

"_What? No. Hatter I know you're sad, but I'm not marrying you out of pity!" I exclaimed._

_He shook his head and argued, "Alice, I know how this sounds, but I've been thinking about this for a while. Julia's… death, has made me realize that life is precious and I'm not going to waste any of it anymore. Marry me, Alice."_

_I felt tears form in my eyes and I nodded eagerly._

I twisted my ring anxiously around my finger. Hatter had found his mother's old ring. I didn't even know that he had it, but apparently he had been wearing on a chain around his neck. I had never noticed it before, but that was probably because he didn't want me to.

It was really pretty. It had a simple silver band and a small heart-shaped diamond. On the inside it had the words, _My Love_, inscribed

The funeral had been short and incredibly sad. We had ducked out on the party because it would've bummed Hatter out.

"Tell me what you're thinking," I commanded softly, pulling him down on the seat next to mine. We were in Mad March's office. I hadn't thought it was a good idea, but Hatter wanted me to see some of his past and surprisingly March had a bunch of it on his wall.

"I'm thinking that I've lost everything that once mattered to me and I'm tired of the pity," he replied seriously, grabbing my hand easily and giving me a serious look.

"I'm sorry," I murmured soothingly.

He nodded and replied, "It's not your fault. I'm so sick of being sad. I need to move on and this funeral gave me a lot of closure. I didn't go to my family's funerals, so it seems like this was theirs by extension. I owe Julia so much. I can't believe she's really gone."

I nodded sympathetically and added, "I love you, Hatter."

He smiled at me halfheartedly and stood, pulling me up lightly. He led me March's psycho wall, although without him there it seemed more like an homage than an obsession, and gingerly plucked off a picture of a younger version of him with two adults and a baby.

"This was taken after my mom had Sophie. She was so cute. I wanted a little brother and when I heard it was a girl, I thought I'd be bummed, but one look at her and I was hers. She looked like my mom when she got older. My mom was the prettiest girl I'd ever seen," he reminisced happily, pointing at his mother.

She was lovely. She had Hatter's dark brown eyes and soft blonde hair. Her eyes were kind and her smile was knowing. I wished that I had met her. His dad was tall and had dark brown hair. His smile was cocky and his green eyes had a mischievous twinkle in them. I could see why they were close.

It was like looking at two forms of Hatter. I smiled softly at the picture.

He handed it to me and pulled another one off. It had a young Hatter and he was laughing. He didn't look like he knew about the picture being taken.

He was so handsome. His hair was slightly longer and it was very messy. His pale skin glowed against the harsh sunlight. I loved this Hatter almost as much as the one I knew.

"This was taken by my mom after I started high school. I was 15 and I was complaining about something when Sophie got up and exclaimed, "Cows go moo" and started dancing. She had gotten it from one of those stuffed animals that were supposed to teach her to talk. Her first word was moo so she just kept saying moo over and over again," he explained, laughing at the memory. He looked like he did in the picture.

I smiled widely and pecked him on the cheek.

Someone knocked gingerly on the door and announced, "The Looking Glass is ready in the foyer."

Hatter sighed and pecked me on the cheek before heading for the door.

"You coming?" he inquired at the doorway.

I nodded, my eyes not leaving the wall, and replied, "I'll be right there."

He nodded and left. I glanced to make sure that he was gone before I yanked off all of his family pictures and shoved them into the pocket on my black dress before running out to catch him.

We walked to the Looking Glass hand-in-hand and people immediately came up to say good-bye.

"You're not leaving without saying good-bye to me, are you?" a familiar voice inquired from behind me inquired.

I turned to find Charlie, still wearing his dirty knight's armor, standing expectantly.

I immediately enveloped him in a hug and exclaimed, "Charlie!"

Hatter clapped him on the back and stated, "Nice to see you, mate."

I pulled away and Charlie replied, "It is indeed. The cosmic forces tell me you don't intend on returning."

I smiled and Hatter reclaimed my hand before replying, "I hope not. We're going home."

He smiled and commented, "That's a nice ring on your finger Just Alice."

I smiled widely again and exclaimed, "Yeah. We're getting married."

He nodded and hugged me again.

"I'll miss you two, but I'm confident we'll meet again, hopefully under better circumstances," Charlie stated before skulking away.

I gave Hatter a baffled look and he said, "Good to know some things never change. Charlie's still crazy."

I smiled and nodded.

"Let's go home, Alice."

"Hatter, home is all I want right now."

And, hand-in-hand, we stepped through the Looking Glass, without looking back.

**A/N: I really hope that wasn't terse or bad. Please tell me if you wanted me to write a prologue or something, because I'd be happy to. Review and thanks again for all of your guys' support. Please try to read my future stories, too. You guys are great!**


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